Description
The book’s greatest strength is not the text, but the art that enlivens every page. A combination of the author’s watercolors and reproductions of Hokusai’s drawings and woodblock prints, the illustrations are arranged in enticing and varied page designs. Place’s detailed paintings, clearly influenced by Hokusai, but with a life that is all their own, depict the action of the story. The reproductions allow readers to discover the artist’s masterpieces along with Tojiro, and wonder how much his sketchbooks, called manga, have influenced modern Japanese cartoons. Schools where Japan is studied will want this very handsome small volume, as will public libraries where there is an interest in Japanese art.
